Growth in fruit and vegetable exports in 2024: concerns about water resources and phytosanitary measures

El Spanish horticultural sector has experienced significant growth during 2024, with a 6% increase in the value of exports compared to the previous year, exceeding 18.000 billion euros, according to estimates by FEPEXIn terms of volume, an increase of 8% is expected, reaching more than 12 million tonnes.

Furthermore, the imports have also shown an upward trend. From January to October, these grew by 6,5% in volume compared to the same period of the previous year, totaling 3,6 million tons. The economic value almost doubled with an increase of XNUMX% 12%, reaching 4.087 billion euros.

Despite the economic growth of the sector, significant concerns remain about factors that directly affect agricultural production. Scarcity of water resources and phytosanitary measures are critical issues that have captured attention this year. According to FEPEX: “The lack of phytosanitary products increasingly reduces the capacity to produce efficiently.” In addition, the recent withdrawal by the European Commission on the Regulation for the sustainable use of phytosanitary products has generated expectations about new regulations that consider the specific conditions within the UE.

La competitiveness against third countries remains a major challenge due to regulatory differences between them and European Member States. Countries such as Morocco or some members of the Mercosur They represent a growing threat to Community producers due to their lower regulatory requirements.

In response to these trade and production challenges, FEPEX advocates concrete measures to improve European competitiveness through a significant reduction in bureaucracy and effective implementation of the Community preferential principle in international trade agreements.